It’s been already a year since we introduced you to Azeron - the fully programmable and customizable gaming keypad that combines the best of both worlds - the convenience of a console controller and the ability to use and reach numerous buttons of a PC keyboard. By now you probably know the capabilities of our product, but did you know that Azeron not only improves the way you play but also brings people together? This was exactly the case of the creative genius behind Azeron gaming keypad Imants and his main supporter - his wife Inga.

We sat down with Imants to discuss Azeron and get his thoughts on why this gamepad works so brilliantly. 

Imants, please tell me – how did you come up with Azeron gaming keypad? 

This started a long time ago - back in 2012 with Guild Wars 2 release. Already on the Guild Wars 2 beta testing I understood that playing this game with a keyboard is not for me. I started to look for something in the market, but couldn’t find anything that suits me, so I decided to create it myself.

Guild Wars 2 as any other massively multiplayer online game has a lot of controls. You need to bind your movement, your interaction and targeting controls, and most important - your skills, and there are A LOT of them! Finally, I came up with a way to utilize all the in-game controls and I didn't even need to slide around my hand on a keyboard like an expert piano player! My solution – a custom gaming keypad where my palm stays fixed, and I only need to move my fingers.

P.S. check out the first prototype of Imants gaming keypad made in 2012. You can find more info here: geekhack.org.

Imants, could you please tell us the sentimental story of how you met your wife?

I have always been a creative guy and I knew how to work with wood. That’s how I made the first few prototypes of my gaming keypad. But already in the early stages of the Azeron keypad development I realized that great keypads are not made on workbenches - they are designed on computers! So, I started to look for a 3D modeler and that led me to the meeting with my wife Inga. Inga taught me 3D modelling, I taught her how to play Guild Wars with Azeron and the rest is history 😊. So, there would probably be no Azeron if I had not met my wife!

Let’s talk more about the machine. What conviction hides behind this keypad?

I believe that design and functionality go hand in hand. A 3D modeler by himself can make a beautiful design, but when creating a product like Azeron you also need to be able to understand how it will function. Another key factor is resilience. In the first official year of Azeron, the keypad has gone through many important durability improvements so the device can withstand a hardcore gamer and would not bend or break. Additionally, for me the customizability has always been important. You can choose the shape of the palmrest – curved or flat, to fit your hand better and adjust the keypad to fit your finger length correctly. And of course - you may order your Azeron in so many colors!

What is your favorite Azeron color?

Orange!

That explains a lot - orange is the color of enthusiasm, creativity, and determination! But what about the technical capabilities?

Azeron gaming keypad has 26 programmable keys, 5-way directional switch and an analog stick. It also has two on-board profiles built in the keypad, so you can easily plug it in, choose a setup that has been programmed, for example, for FPS games and play. I also added a second profile so you could easily play two different games - one right after another and no need to rebind all your controller buttons to different actions.

Ergonomics is an important part of Azeron. Positive feedback from our users proves that. So, ergonomic design, functionality, customizability, and convenience - these are the valuable assets Imants has integrated in the Azeron gaming keypad over the years.

And when you use it, you can easily see why these properties work so well. We hope that you now have a better understanding of Azeron gaming keypad and why it looks and functions in such a specific way. 

But now it is time for some gaming! 

Play the way you want to play! Team Azeron

We are approaching our first official birthday! So, this is an amazing chance to look back and share the incredible story of how the Azeron gaming keypad idea came about. As with many great things it was not born out of thin air. It came from necessity.

Back in 2012, Imants, a passionate gamer, had a realization that if you want to play games in a specific way - a regular keyboard is not enough. The classic WASD can only do so much. That led to Imants making the first gaming keypad prototype for personal use, and because the layout felt right from the start, it stayed the same for nearly three years with some minor adjustments. This is the mindset behind Azeron – find a solution that feels right and natural. And the gaming keypad delivers exactly that and allows you to reach the keys in a convenient way.

The first prototypes were made from wood with some steel elements, which may be handy when creating the first drafts of an idea, but around 2015 the Azeron project had come to a stage where using those materials no longer worked.

Understanding that a keypad like this is something that gamers everywhere would appreciate, led to a few years of product development. One of them being the way Azeron keypad is made today - 3D printing. While developing a gamepad you need to be able to change and iterate parts in an instant. As it was with Azeron - the design of some specific parts needed to be adjusted on the fly. So, 3D printing reduced the prototyping time considerably and helped to lower the waste material amount.